So...do we still need a fullback?
- Thread starter Al_Tuna
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I would just like to see what Saquon could do if he got a few chances to run USC's "Student Body Right" or "Student Body Left" play (i.e., a pitch to him for a dash around the end). You certainly can't complain about the numbers he put up last night (they were phenomenal), but he never gets the ball with a head of steam. I'd just like to see him get that chance.
i think this subject came out during discussions around our performance on 3rd and short - which the ESPN crew said we were around 100th in the country at converting on. 3rd and short. not sure that FB is the main cause though.
Respectfully we should have a little of everything in our playbook.
Imagine the USC confusion.....at least initially.....if we came out for a series or two with Trace under center and two backs in the backfield, running with a hurry-up, quick count offense! Would have loved to have seen this in the 4th quarter yesterday!
Get a defensive player or two out of position and/or a step slow in reacting.....BINGO!
Barron is returning as President, so we do have a "fool back" [sic], like it or not.
Gambit: Speaking of "fools back," did you notice when Fowler mentioned the whole sanctions era and capped it off by stating that "there was no one left at Penn State" who was there when during the Sandusky fiasco was unfolding? I had to laugh, thinking about the OGBOT and how incorrect Fowler's statement was. But the bulk of the American populace no doubt considers that as fact.
while its great to have all of that in the playbook, how do you have time to practice it? You cut you QB/C exchange time in half (or double it depending how you want to look at it) because you have to work the shotgun snap, & with the under C exchange. Now you have to change your blocking schemes for the OL with a 2 back set, and find someone to play FB, at best, what 5-7 snap a game? Do you have him on scholarship or not? Maybe you use a TE, but that defeats the purpose as it takes away the run threat from the D. I see more confusion on our part trying this, then on the D's, all they have to do is line up in base and go.
Never understood why they didn't give Robinson a shot on short down yardage situations. For as good as Barkley is I think Robinson is much better between the tackles. He always seems to get the 5-6 yards when they run him straight up the gut and occasionally breaks it for a TD. When Barkley went out yesterday for few snaps and they brought Allen in they lost yardage on both plays. Couldn't for the life of me figure out why Robinson wasn't in there.
Barkley goes off for 190 and more than 200 APY and you're asking do we need a fullback?
Get over it. It's not 1980 anymore.
Get over it. It's not 1980 anymore.
Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just bringing it up b/c it's been discussed at length on this board.
I had been a subscriber to the mindset that Moorhead's offense is what it is (No fullback, no QB under center, etc.) however during the bowl season I saw several teams that run the RPO offense exclusively go with a QB under center on short yardage plays, so maybe he needs to tweak his offense a little for those situations.
i am not going to argue whether we need a FB or not, but it is very clear we have a problem in 3rd and short (1/2 - 3 yds). we were 3rd and 1 in a critical situation last night and threw a play action (RPO) pass. most of this board would probably say 3rd and 1 is a scary play for us. That is all you need to know. i am not postulating the root cause or a solution, but it is a problem.
It wouldn't be unreasonable to have some kind of short-yardage adjustment, even if we borrow another player from somewhere. I think Bama uses a defensive end in that position occasionally, but I don't think they have a pure fullback, either.
Have patience. Our OL was good this year. The young kids developed nicely. Next year it will be awesome and two deep. Sequon may break LJs season rushing record.
Agree. I would like to see a quarterback sneak on 3rd/4th and inches.
Indeed! They have all spring to work on perhaps a variety of no more than four plays from that formation. Also, could you see after successfully using it several times, Trace fakes it, throws or rolls and throws?!!! O'B made a living here having McMoxie sneak on even 4th downs. Like someone else posted in this thread, there is a problem! Once it is in place during spring, they could find 5-10 minutes to practice two of the four plays each game week. Engineers of mathematicians, how many times during the sequence of a drive does a team end up two or less yards short after two plays? I'm sure part of it is we remember it during the dog fights. I'm also sure, however, it is a measurable and a staff could evaluate whether it would be beneficial or not to include several minutes of it in practice. Last but not least, I think CJF is such a high road guy he may not want to step on JoeMo's toes to even mention it. Hell, he's the coach that lived with Hack out of respect!
in contested games this is going to happen alot (probably 5-10 plays a game). right now if we were 3rd and 7 it would feel better than 3rd and 2....heck if we got the other team in an offsides, we would be better off declining to avoid the dreaded 3rd and 2.
The confusion would be from our offense running plays they are not familiar with. You run the plays you rep in practice.
